


Hope and A Chance (Discontinued)

by FrenziedPen



Category: Underfell - Fandom, Underswap - Fandom, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Drama, F/M, I'll update everything as I go, Reverse Harem, Romance, Slow Burn, not sure for which couple though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-11
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-12-13 23:24:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11770623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrenziedPen/pseuds/FrenziedPen
Summary: Fear. Fear coerces people to make dumb decisions based on irrationality.When the monsters came to the surface, it was fear that made the humans react as they did. Shunned and degraded, monsters found that the paradise they sought for was still out of reach. Forced to live as degenerate living beings, monsters struggle to pave their way in human society.Enter You.Knowing that there is more to monsters than humans tend to fear, you decide to implement a program at a correctional facility in hopes of mending the relationship between monsters and humans. Your six clients: Incarcerated Skeletons. You're not quite sure how this will turn out, but you're going to give it your all...otherwise, society in itself may crumble.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Six Skeletons, One Maid](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7124200) by [RaccoonSinQueen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaccoonSinQueen/pseuds/RaccoonSinQueen). 



“We gotta check ya bag ma’am” the security guard grumbled from her post. You gave the tired woman a smile and shrugged off your backpack, placing it on the conveyor belt before waiting for the ok to walk through the machine in front of you. After the guard waved her hand, you walked through then waited to grab your bag. You were motioned though the next set of doors to a check in area.

 “Hi, how can I help you?” This woman seemed a bit more awake than her counterpart.

“Good morning, I’m Y/N. I’m here as a part of HMRA.”

The woman behind the glass gave a confused look as she put together a check-in packet on a clipboard.

“HMRA?” she asked as she handed the clipboard through the glass opening. You grabbed one of the flower pens nearby on the counter and scanned over the paperwork.

“Human Monster Relationship Association” you reply, filling in the proper information on the clipboard. As you hand her back the paperwork, you notice a slight worried look on the woman’s face as she gave a murmur of acknowledgement. You gave her a warm smile as she asked you to sit and wait to be let into the facility.

You slid your backpack between your ankles as you sat in the waiting room. You were used to that worried look. Any human you talked to about your profession gave you that look. Human monster relationship? The only relationship between humans and monster was a toxic one. Well, that’s what they all believed. You, on the other hand, believe differently. You had seen good in monsters before. You had seen the good that could come of a human/monster partnership. You just had to show everyone else that. Show humans that monsters weren’t inherently bad. Show monsters that they had to let go of their anger in order to proceed. That was the reason you started HMRA. To mend and form a better bond. You could do it. You just knew you could. You had to.

“Ms. Y/N.”

You looked up at the glass encased counter. The (now less chipper) woman was standing and pointing towards the thick looking door at the far end of the room.

“They’re ready for you.” You took a deep breath, picked up your backpack and walked towards the door. Your heart gave an excited pitter patter as you waited.

“Just pull when you hear the buzzer….and good luck.” You raised a brow at her comment, but before you could say anything a loud buzz sounded and prompted you to go through the door. It slammed behind you and you swore you had been transported to another dimension.

Instead of the loud and rowdy interior that most people expected inside a prison facility, you were met with a deadly silence. A vast room with three stories of cells sat before you and yet not a sound was heard throughout the floor. You took a few steps forward into the room and took note at the smattering of guards within the area. Curiously, you attempted to look in some of the cells to the far-right side of you. A small sense of surprise came over you as you noticed that the doors were plain metal doors with a tiny window towards the top of it. You had been expecting metal bar doors. But these doors…well, it gave the sense that everyone was on solitary confinement. It was…disheartening.

“Ms. Y/N” a smooth voice questioned from behind you. You jumped slightly at the sudden noise and turned to face the man that called your name.

“Yes” you replied as you took in the sight of the man in front of you. He stared down at you with striking grey eyes and a smile that didn’t quite reach them. Clad in a button up and pressed pants, you noticed the belt of weapons around his waist. Baton. Taser. Gun. Necessary? Possibly, but the sight of them still set you on edge. He put a well-mannered hand towards you. You returned his smile, pulling yourself out of your observant stupor and introduced yourself.

“Y/N, head of HMRA. Pleasure to meet you, Mr…?” The words hung in the air for a second as the man before you seemed to size up your handshake. Seemingly impressed, he gave a light chuckle before withdrawing his hand.

“Nice to finally meet you, Y/N. I’m Jason Don, head of security and visitor relations here at Cain County Correctional Facility. I believe we have been speaking over emails to each other.”

“Ah yes, nice to meet you too, Mr. Don.”

“Please, either Jason or Don. No need for the Mr.” You nodded and folded your hands in front of you. There was a strained silence as Don stared down at you, smiling and waiting. Something about this man made your hairs stand up. You brushed aside the feeling and went back into professional mode.

“I’m grateful that you would be willing to let your facility be the first to our program, Don. As I told you through our emails, it’s been a very difficult process trying to get facilities to open up to even the idea of our program.”

Don gave a knowing nod before motioning for you to follow him towards the far end of the room.

“It’s all about hope, Ms. Y/N,” he noted. He walked at a leisurely pace as he spoke, hands tucked behind his back. You struggled to keep up with his steps. Though slow, his long legs made his stride a little faster than yours. “Even if I didn’t think that humans and monsters could get along, it’s the idea of hope that could make it probable.”

You nodded slightly, not quite agreeing with his words but letting him speak his mind anyway.

You stopped at a door and watched as Don knocked on the small window atop it. A face appeared briefly before disappearing and unlocking the door, sounding another loud buzzer. You walked through first at Don’s insistence.

“This is our second block. Not much different from the first to be quite honest. Although, I think the floors may be a different tile from the other one.” Don went on about the interior design (or lack thereof) of the facility as you boarded a golf cart and sped through a few more blocks of the building.

“How many blocks are in this building” you shouted over the wind, holding your hair out of your face as you did. Don thought for a second as you waited to go through another block door.

“All together, there are ten.”

You glanced around trying to figure out which block you were currently in. 4. “Which block are we heading to?” A light shiver ran up your spine when Don turned his smirking face towards you.

“10. Home of our highest security monsters.” He watched an inkling of fear flash across your face and chuckled. “Well Ms. Y/N, if you want to prove to the world that monsters aren’t bad, you’re going to have to start with the worst.”

*          *          *

The buzzer for the 10th block was louder and accompanied by two flashing lights. You and Don drove through and parked the cart by a guard who stared blankly at the room.

“Carl, this is Ms. Y/N. You’ll be seeing a bit more of her around here, as she’s working with HMRA. Let your men know, ok” Don explained as he clapped the man on the shoulder. The man, Carl, stared down at you before nodding slightly. Otherwise, he was a statue, waiting for any sign of action. “Good man” Don chuckled before leading you away towards the stairs of the room. You followed him upstairs and towards the right side of the block. Four doors lined the way. A guard stood at the end, back parallel to the wall and a blank stare on his face. Don glanced at you as you both stood at the beginning of the row. “Ready to meet your ever-excited pupils” he purred.

Another shiver ran down your spine at his voice. You readjusted your backpack and stared at the cell doors. You had wanted this. Volunteered yourself for this. Yet, you hesitated. Your heart pounded in your chest as you prepared yourself.  You took a deep soothing breath and stood tall. “Of course, Don. What made you think otherwise” you chirped, flashing your biggest smile. Don blinked at you then shook his head with a huff of a laugh. He raised his hand and signaled to the guard on the other end. You saw him move slightly before four loud clicks sounded in the room and the doors slowly opened.

Another chorus of clicks sounded as the doors locked in open positions. You waited, nervously fidgeting with a strap of your backpack. No one came out of the cell. The guard at the end of the hallway seemed to tense up even more than he already had been, which you found slightly astonishing. You looked up at Don, giving him an unspoken question.

“They can’t leave their cells unless told to for… both party’s safety.” Don stepped forward slightly looking as though he was going to give a signal then stopped as a thought hit him. “Oh…and don’t stand too close to the railing” he said to you over his shoulder. You glanced at the railing beside you and shuffled away slightly. Satisfied, Don turned his attention back to the cells. “Alright boys, you can come on out. We’ve got someone we want you to meet.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, how exactly does one keep a monster prison facility in check? And who exactly are the individuals who are now apart of your program?

            You watched as four figures exited, two from each cell. Your four pupils…clients…subjects? were skeleton monsters. Well, you should know that. You read over their profiles before you drove out to the facility. You just never encountered a skeleton monster before and, to be honest, you were as fascinated as you were terrified. As the monsters walked out and created a line towards Don, you wondered why the number seemed off. You quickly whipped your backpack around, unknowingly gaining everyone’s attention with the noise. You skimmed through some papers and pulled out a folder with the necessary information. You glanced at the overview page confirming your thoughts before approaching Don, who was already looking down at you.

“There are supposed to be six of them” you stated.

Don glanced over the paperwork that you held in your hand and then looked over the line of skeletons in front of you. Understanding flickered over his face before a grin curled his lips.

“Ah, yes. Well…they’re a bit preoccupied at the moment. They’ll be joining you a bit later, either today or tomorrow.” You tilt your head at the cold amusement in his voice before accepting his answer and pulling your backpack back on.

Your mind does a quick snapshot of the skeletons before you look back at the profiles you received in an email earlier that day.

NAME: SANS            AGE: ???         SEX: MALE               AGGRESSION LEVEL: MODERATE TO SEVERE

  * ARRIVED AT FACILITY XX/XX/XXXX WITH PAPYRUS
  * INCIDENT DURING CELL SEPARATION XX/XX/XXXX 
    * ADMINISTERED DISCIPLINARY ACTION
    * SANCTIONED FOR SOLITARY CONFINEMENT
  * RELEASED FROM SOLITARY CONFINEMENT XX/XX/XXXX
  * INCIDENT DURING BRACELET CALIBRATION XX/XX/XXXX 
    * ADMINISTERED DISCIPLINARY ACTION
    * SANCTIONED FOR SOLITARY CONFINEMENT
  * RELEASED FROM SOLITARY CONFINEMENT XX/XX/XXXX
  * BRACELET CALIBRATION SUCCESS XX/XX/XXXX 
    * AWARDED “BLUE HOODIE” FOR COMMENDABLE BEHAVIOR
  * BRACELET CALIBRATION SUCCESS XX/XX/XXXX
  * MINOR INCIDENT DURING CELL SEPARATION XX/XX/XXXX 
    * ADMINISTERED DISCIPLINARY ACTION
    * SANCTIONED FOR SOLITARY CONFINEMENT
  * RELEASED FROM SOLITARY CONFINEMENT XX/XX/XXXX



 

NAME: PAPYRUS    AGE: ???         SEX: MALE   AGGRESSION LEVEL: LITTLE TO MODERATE

  * ARRIVED AT FACILITY XX/XX/XXXX WITH SANS
  * CELL SEPARATION XX/XX/XXXX
  * INCIDENT DURING BRACELET CALIBRATION XX/XX/XXXX 
    * ADMINISTERED DISCIPLINARY ACTION
    * SANCTIONED FOR SOLITARY CONFINEMENT
  * RELEASED FROM SOLITARY CONFINEMENT XX/XX/XXXX
  * BRACELET CALIBRATION SUCCESS XX/XX/XXXX
  * BRACELET CALIBRATION SUCCESS XX/XX/XXXX 
    * AWARDED “RED HERO SCARF” FOR COMMENDABLE BEHAVIOR
  * CELL SEPARATION XX/XX/XXXX



NAME: BLUE/BLUEBERRY          AGE: ???         SEX: MALE   AGGRESSION LEVEL: LITTLE TO MODERATE

  * ARRIVED AT FACILITY XX/XX/XXXX WITH STRETCH
  * INCIDENT DURING CELL SEPARATION XX/XX/XXXX 
    * ADMINISTERED DISCIPLINARY ACTION
    * SANCTIONED FOR SOLITARY CONFINEMENT
  * RELEASED FROM SOLITARY CONFINEMENT XX/XX/XXXX
  * BRACELET CALIBRATION SUCCESS XX/XX/XXXX 
    * AWARDED “HEROIC BLUE BANDANA” FOR COMMENDABLE BEHAVIOR
  * BRACELET CALIBRATION SUCCESS XX/XX/XXXX
  * BRACELET CALIBRATION SUCCESS XX/XX/XXXX
  * INCIDENT DURING CELL SEPARATION XX/XX/XXXX 
    * ADMINISTERED DISCIPLINARY ACTION
    * SANCTIONED FOR SOLITARY CONFINEMENT
  * RELEASED FROM SOLITARY CONFINEMENT XX/XX/XXXX



NAME: STRETCH    AGE: ???         SEX: MALE   AGGRESSION LEVEL: MODERATE TO SEVERE

  * ARRIVED AT FACILITY XX/XX/XXXX WITH BLUE
  * INCIDENT DURING CELL SEPARATION XX/XX/XXXX 
    * ADMINISTERED DISCIPLINARY ACTION
    * SANCTIONED FOR SOLITARY CONFINEMENT
  * RELEASED FROM SOLITARY CONFINEMENT XX/XX/XXXX
  * MINOR INCIDENT DURING BRACELET CALIBRATION XX/XX/XXXX 
    * ADMINISTERED DISCIPLINARY ACTION
  * BRACELET CALIBRATION SUCCESS XX/XX/XXXX
  * BRACELET CALIBRATION SUCCESS XX/XX/XXXX 
    * REFUSED AWARD FOR COMENDABLE BEHAVIOR
  * INCIDENT DURING CELL SEPARATION XX/XX/XXXX 
    * ADMINISTERED DISCIPLINARY ACTION
    * SANCTIONED FOR SOLITARY CONFINEMENT
  * RELEASED FROM SOLITARY CONFINEMENT XX/XX/XXXX



CONCERNING INMATES EDGE AND RED, ASK FOR SEPARATE FILES AND BRIEFING UPON ARRIVAL.

            You glance back up at the first pair of skeletons and placed names with faces. Although both skeletons were dressed in orange jumpers, their height and accessories made it easy to tell them apart. You hadn’t realized that prison facilities used physical rewards for good behavior but you found yourself approving of the method. Sans seemed stand-offish, hands in his hoodie pockets and a seemingly permanent smile on his ~~face~~ skull. Papyrus stood at his side, looking nervously as his red scarf flapped lightly in a non-existent wind – _strange…_ You gave the pair behind Sans and Papyrus a look over and noticed that they were nearly mirror images of the first pair. Clad in an oversized jumper and blue necktie, the smaller skeleton (who you inferred was Blue) huddled close to the apathetic looking skeleton next to him. The taller skeleton wore nothing but his jumper and a tired grin.

            As you survey the group in front of you, Don addresses them. “Alright gentlemen, this is Ms. Y/N. She is from the Human Monster Relationship Association. She is here to teach you all some mann-?” Don looked over in surprise as you stepped forward.

            “I’m here to do whatever I can to make it easier for monsters and humans integrate with each other. A relationship is a two-way street and I plan on repaving _both_ sides.” You make a pointed look at Don before giving a kind smile at the group of quiet skeletons in front of you. They said nothing. Don gave a huff and yelled to the guard to be ready to move. You followed Don down the stairs and towards another secured hallway, occasionally glancing at the line of monsters behind you.

            The room you were led to was a pristine looking white room, similar to a brand-new classroom. The fluorescent lighting bounced off the shining floors, causing an almost blinding view. You and Don made your way to what looked like the front of the classroom as the skeletons filed in. They stood awkwardly, glancing at each other and the room as the guard pulled up the rear. Don turned to you as the monsters shuffled nervously.

            “I see you brought your own materials but there’s a white board – as you can see -, a projector and that closet over there holds a few more materials for you.” You glanced at the things he brought up, noticing the lack of cameras on the room which surprised you. You placed your backpack on the table preparing to pull out papers for the day.

            As you finalized your stacks of work, you noticed that Don and the guard still stood in the room. You raised an eyebrow at Don. He gave you a questioning noise at your look. “I’ll take it from here, Don. Thank you.” Don gave a surprised look at your dismissive words.

            “Are you sure, Ms. Y/N” he asked, leaning against the table. “These are dangerous monsters.”

            You crossed your arms and pursed your lips at his comment. You made a mental note to address Don and the security team later. “I’m sure I’ll be fine, Don. If I was afraid for my safety, I wouldn’t have volunteered for this job.” That wasn’t necessarily true, but there was no way you would let Don get away with his comment. The two of you stared at each other for a moment before Don chuckled and waved for you to follow him over to one of the taller skeletons. Based on your analysis from earlier, this was Papyrus – a low aggression level monster. You smiled up at the skeleton and was pleased to see a small smile returned to you, before a nervous glance went to Don. As Don reached for the skeleton’s wrist, you noticed as Sans stood closer to Papyrus. He looked a perfect mix of anxious and angry as Don pulled back the sleeve of Papyrus’ jumper. You frowned at the realization that Don hadn’t acknowledged Papyrus before grabbing his wrist.

            Don held the wrist up so you could see it. You found a thick metal bracelet attached to the skeleton. You grimaced at the look of the device. Don turned Papyrus’ wrist over a few times to give you a good look at the bracelet. It was at least an inch and a half thick with a red and green light on it. The device looked heavy and unpleasant.

“As I assume you would know Ms. Y/N, monsters have magic and abilities that make them a bit dangerous to humans. This beautiful device makes it so that using magic is out of the question.” You raise an eyebrow at Don, causing his eyes to light up in excitement. Don explained to you that a monster’s magic was connected to their SOUL – something you already knew. He explained that recently scientists had been able to find the electric frequency that SOULS exist on. Although not able to physically see the SOUL (as humans could not), they traced the SOUL based on electric output and input. By doing so, they were able to stop magic usage output by causing an (overbearing) electrical input to the SOUL.

“It causes a bit of pain” Don said as he rubbed a thumb over the blinking green light on the bracelet. “But it stops inappropriate behavior from happening.” He let go of Papyrus’ wrist and you watched as Sans physically relaxed at the action. “If any of them try to go into _battle_ mode or try some other tomfoolery, they’ll be swiftly reprimanded.”

Don looked down at you, a hint of excitement still in his eyes. As he waited for a response, you glanced up at the monster beside him. Two eye lights stared back down at you as the small smile returned. You glanced from the bracelet to his smile and back again before shaking your head with your own smile intact.

“As…interesting…as that technology is…I highly doubt that it would need to be used.”

Don’s face fell for a moment before he cleared his throat and went to make his way out the room. “Of course. As you know, there will be two guards at the door and you need only to yell if you need assistance.” Don finished his sentence before pausing in the doorway for a moment. The guard who had been in the room stationed himself outside by the door.

            “I appreciate it Don, but as I stated I doubt it will be necessary. “

            Don stared at you for a moment as if trying to solve a puzzle before simply nodding and exiting the room. The sound of the door closing behind him filled you with a sense of relief. You turned and let out a long and loud exhale before heading towards the front of the room once again.

            You looked at the skeletons standing and gave the kindest smile you could muster. “You guys can sit if you want. I know it’s kinda awkward right now but just give me a moment and then we can get started.” You saw the skeletons sit slowly one by one, still paired together. You reopened your folder and went to pull out the profiles of your clients? _God, what do you call them?_ You glanced at the antsy looking skeletons and decide against it. Instead, you pulled your chair from behind the desk and sat in front of them, trying to give the best relaxed expression as possible.

            “So as you know, I’m Y/N from HMRA. Our goal is to make the cultural environment around human and monster relationships a positive one. My goal here is to make your lives much easier for reintegration when you are released.” You finished your speech with a quiet clap and waited. The skeletons looked at each other then you, some suspiciously. “Are there…any questions?” There was a stretched silence before a boney arm reached up from the second pair of skeletons. You looked at the small skeleton, noticing the oversized jumper and blue necktie. “Yes” you asked, excited at the new enthusiasm. “Will We Be Graded” Blue questioned, a little too loudly. You smiled and leaned back in your chair, crossing your arms. “No, this isn’t a class. It’s just...” you thought about the right choice of words. You frowned when nothing immediately came to mind. “It’s not a class. It’s…well, it’s more of a…”

            “A club” a lazy voice offered. You looked up at where the voice came from and found Blue’s cellmate looking at you. You mentally flipped through the profiles for a name. Plain orange jumper and a tire smile. Blue’s cellmate. This was Stretch. You sat up and clapped your hands together once again.

“Yes! Exactly! A club! A club where we meet and talk about different aspects of relationships and how to improve them.” You flashed a thankful smile to Stretch and watched as he gave a slow nod in response. “I would like to start with introductions then we can talk about scheduling and certain individual topics. Does that sound ok with everyone?” You didn’t really wait for a response before turning to the tall scarf-clad skeleton. “If you would start us off Mr…?”

He looked over at his cellmate for a quick second before clearing his throat? and sitting a little straighter. “I’m Papyrus And…” his voice died down as he attempted to think of something else to say.

“What do you like to do?”

Papyrus thought for a moment before nearly jumping from his chair in excitement. “I Like To Collect Action Figures And Practice My Hero Moves!” You raised your eyebrows and smiled at his energy, pleased to see him looking more alive rather than a silent nervous mess. “That’s pretty cool, Papyrus. Thank you for sharing.” You turned to the shorter skeleton that had been looking over Papyrus earlier when Don was around. Sans.

“And you Mr…?” You raised an eyebrow at his hoodie, still a bit thrown off by it. He stared at you with a seemingly permanent smile on his face. His eyes seemed to stare straight into the certain of your being. After a moment, he shrugged and tilted his head slightly.

“i’m Sans…”

“And…?”

“and…”

“And He Likes Ketchup” Papyrus piped up when Sans couldn’t think of anything.

Sans glanced over at Papyrus, his smile more genuine as he did. “you know me too well, paps.”

“Of Course I Do, Sans! You’re My Brother!”

You raised an eyebrow at the new knowledge. Brothers? You eyed Blue and Stretch, noticing Blue perk up a little as you did. Perhaps they were brothers as well? Cellmates as brothers. It made sense.

“I’m Blue And I Like Sugar And Heroes And Adventures!”

You giggled at the haunted look in Stretch’s eye sockets. Something tells you that Blue and sugar aren’t a good mix. You glance at Stretch, motioning that it was his turn to introduce himself.

He seemed to take a slow inhale (as if he were inhaling on an imaginary cigarette) as he looked back at you. A silence stretched for a moment before he shifted and gave a curt response.

“i’m stretch and i like…” he gave a look at Blue, who perked up and nearly shouted.

“He Likes Honey!” Stretch gave a grin at Blue’s excited demeanor before you pulled everyone’s attention back to you.

“So…we’ve got Papyrus, who likes action figures, Sans, who likes ketchup, Blue, who likes sugar and heroes and adventure and Stretch, who likes Honey…” You watched as everyone nodded at your comment before reaching back and grabbing some papers off the table.

You gave the clock on the wall a quick glance before shuffling through the papers to the ones you needed. With a pen in hand, you readdressed the skeletons commenting on the future schedule of your…club. You only had a few free hours in the week due to the other responsibilities that came with leading HMRA, but you planned to visit the facility at least four times a week for a minimum of an hour. You tried to weigh everyone’s opinion of how often group meetings would be, but very little seemed to be given away. You believed that you saw Papyrus’ foot give a small excited tap and perhaps Blue hadn’t been shifting in his chair but had been…wiggling? You took a mental note of the responses then headed on with the next order of business before you ran out of time for the day.

“I hate to rush our first meeting but I need to get one-on-one interviews with everyone before we leave for the day.” Sans tapped a finger on his chair to get your attention as you began to scribble a name at the top of one of the papers. “Yes?”

“what are these interviews for?”

You gave the skeleton a small smile as he eyed you suspiciously. “In order to work on getting our relationship levels with the other culture on a more positive level, I have to see where your current mindsets are now. Then, later on down the line, I can look back and see how much progress we’ve made together.” Your hand twitched as the need to add a clap at the end of your sentence came over you. You watched as Sans sunk back into his chair and hoodie, taking it as a sign that he was satisfied with your answer. “Since you asked that lovely question, would you mind coming up here and being the first person that I interview?”

The skeleton blinked? _Can skeletons blink?_ It certainly looked like he had closed his eye sockets for a second there. As you contemplated the idea of bone moving as skin would, Sans made his way to you. Papyrus and Blue started a small conversation about neck accessories and which one was better suited for heroic deeds.

“It won’t take long, Sans. Just a few questions” you said softly, as the skeleton stood in front of you, hands in his pockets with a strained smiled on his face. He nodded at your remark and you began the process of figuring out where the skeletons all stood when it came to humans. After about thirty minutes (not including the ten-minute discussion about who the best superhero was), you had put together a decent stack of skeleton interviews. What you came up up with was…well…the skeletons either hated humans or really didn’t care for them. You had a bit of work cut out for you.

Before you could try to get a few words in about how you planned for future meetings to go, the door to the classroom opened. Your eyes squinted at Don and the two guards that walked in, a bit irritated at the intrusion.

“I hate to interrupt you, Ms. Y/N, but time has been up for about ten minutes now.” You watched as the skeletons stood up at the sight of the guards and paired back up with each other. You stood as well, pulling together your things before turning to address Don. You were a bit surprised to see that the skeletons were already being herded out of the room.

“I apologize for running over time, Don. I’ll try to keep a better eye out next time, but unfortunately there was just so much to do today and I-” Don raised a hand in front of you to silence you, causing another quick spark of irritation to run through you. _Who the hell did he think he was?_

“It’s not a problem, Ms. Y/N. I simply need to make sure that the inmates are on a proper schedule or else a bit of chaos ensues.” He placed a hand on the small of your back and lightly pushed you towards the door as he spoke. “And we wouldn’t want that now, would we?” You were pretty sure that Don could feel the shiver than ran through you. _Creepy ass…_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've only written two chapters and I can already tell you which one I dislike more. This chapter started off with such gusto but I feel like it's missing something at the end. My brain just wasn't having it, so I decided to trudge myself across the finish line rather than procrastinate. 
> 
> I'm currently working on an actual outline for how I want the story to go, so the next chapter may take a while. I've never really written a fanfiction before so I'll be learning as I go. Thanks for your patience, everyone!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your day doesn't exactly go the way you plan, but at least you were still productive.

“Another monster was found today in-“

As soon as you hopped in the car, you turned off the radio. Most stations that played music were overrun by news broadcasts about the latest rally or protest. It was tiring. The silence in the car wasn’t too bad. You paid better attention to the road and noticed things you wouldn’t normally notice while you bobbed your head to Mystery Skulls. In fact, it wasn’t until you stared turning off the radio when you noticed the reality of the world around you.

Every morning on your commute you passed by the same places and scenes. The bakery at the first stop light from your house still hung its “No Monsters Allowed” sign. The street that led towards downtown was filled with Anti-Monster protesters. Even the random woman and child cowering on the street, as a fluffy bird-like monster passed them, was familiar. You sighed and tried to pay more attention to the road versus your surroundings.

The world was in a dark place and everyone knew it. The other day you heard your neighbors talking about what should be done in case of an emergency. Would the government intervene or would it just be left to local authorities? The riots and protests were getting progressively worse with no sign of compromise from either side of the local government. You had tried to join your neighbors’ conversation, but were met with strained smiles and silence. Your neighbors didn’t feel the same way as you did about monster equality. You had realized that after the sudden lack of invitations to monthly potlucks. For some strange reason, you weren’t too phased by the isolation.

You shifted your backpack to a more comfortable position as you walked into the check in area. The same woman from yesterday stared at you through the glass with a familiar strained smile. You returned her smile and took the ID card she offered you. You raised an eyebrow, but before you could get out your question the young woman explained.

“Because of the nature and frequency of your work, you’ve been approved for an identification card. You can get into parking around the employee side and come through employee entrances. You should be able to walk straight to Block Ten rather than taking the long way.”

 _Ooo, behind the scenes access_ …You hadn’t been expecting that, not with how Don had been acting towards you. Although you did recall the background check compliance sheet that you filled out during your initial check-in paperwork.

You tested out your new card, slipping into the glass contained check-in area to take the employee entrance to the building. You passed by an employee lounge, a couple of bathrooms and a few dozen snarky looks. You held your head high and gave your best ‘nice to meet you’ smile. They would understand soon enough. Eventually, they would let go of their fear and judgements. You just had to play nice and smile brightly until then.

As you walked through the sixth block hallway, you heard the conversation of a couple of guards that passed you.

“No way, really?”

“Yup, I saw it myself. Right under that weird fucking beak of his. I’m sure if you had something to pry in there you could pull that thing right off.”

“I’d like to see that. Get that disgusting thing to shut up once and for all.”

You stopped and gave a horrified look at the two guards as they walked away from you. Did you hear them correctly? Your mind flashed a gruesome image of a monster having their beak forcibly removed. Your spine chilled as you leaned against the wall for a second, the awful mental image affecting you flashing over and over again. After the horror left you, you found a new spark of persistence in you. You straightened, took a deep breath and smiled before calling after the two guards. “Hey guys, I was wondering where you were. We’ve got that mandatory meeting today.” You would have to hold off your meeting with the skeletons. You had something a bit more pressing to address.

*          *          *

“-help cultivate a positive relationship between humans and monsters.”

A silence stretched between the circle of people you had accumulated for the meeting. You sat back in your chair and glanced around the group. You had managed to grab five guards and couldn’t help but notice how disgruntled most of them looked. You had already went through (reluctant) introductions and learned that it was best if you treated this group with less of a lead, letting them form their own discussions. If you pushed too hard for information from them, they would clam up and you would never progress.

As the minutes stretched by, you watched as Don gave you a pointed look.

“Would anyone like to share their opinion on monsters?” You offered a simple suggestion that seemed to send an electric wave over the group. A mix of shuffling and shifting occurred before you glanced over at one of the guards from earlier.

You took in his boyish face and wondered how someone who looked so innocent could say such horrid things. He looked back at you, thoughts forming slowly before he spoke.

“I think,” he paused to clear his throat. “I think that monsters don’t deserve the credit that some people give them. Some people think that all humans should just accept them because they’re ‘living beings with _emotions_.’ I just can’t accept that. I can’t accept some foreign being with demon powers just hanging out in our society.”

Your hands tightened slightly at his words but you said nothing. You glanced around the group to see what someone else would say. As much as you wanted to get involved, you couldn’t. You hoped/needed the peers of those against monsters to reach out to them. The words of a stranger would mean nothing. The words of a peer, who they entrust their life to, would at least leave a mark.

“I don’t agree with you, Henry.”

The group shifted their attention to another man across the circle. Built like a street fighter, the redhead man gave a gruff interruption to Henry’s speech. You held your excitement as best you could before giving the man the go ahead to speak.

“Go ahead, Mr…?”

The man rested his elbows on his knees and brought his hands together.

“Robert. And Henry, I think that’s the wrong way to approach it. Monsters are a mix between civil and violent creatures, just like humans. In America, we firmly believe in Innocent Until Proven Guilty. That statement alone negates every part of what you just brought up. Some monsters are gifted. Some humans are gifted. It’s how they use those gifts that determines if they’ll end up in the place like this or not.”

Robert raised his hands and motioned to the facility as he finished speaking. You glanced at Henry, who looked at the other guard he had been walking with earlier. You believed he introduced himself as Curtis at the start of the meeting. He fidgeted with his thumb for a moment before deciding to say something.

“I kind of agree with Henry, Robert. You can’t just give everyone the benefit of the doubt. That’s how tragedies hap-“

“Curtis, that’s just fearing them for no reason other than the fact that they are them. That’s raci-“

“You can’t be racist against something that ain’t human, Bob.”

“No, it’s called being cautious of what if’s.”

You raised a hand and cleared your throat, quieting the argument. “No yelling, guys. We need to have civil discussions here.” You watched as those who hadn’t spoke shuffled. You turned to Curtis and gave him your signature kind smile. He had the weakest resolve of them all.

“What would monsters have to do to make you trust them?”

The man blinked at the question and turned towards Henry. Before they could have a nonverbal discussion, you gave a loud clap that startled him. You kept the grin on your face as you repeated the question.

“What would monsters have to do to make **you** trust them, Curtis?”

You watched as Curtis thought for a moment. You could see the internal struggle happening. A quick glance around the room showed that Curtis wasn’t the only one contemplating the answer.

“I…don’t know” he mumbled softly after a few seconds of thought.

The smile on your face fell as you pretended to not understand what he was saying.

“You don’t know? Is that to say that there is nothing a monster can do to make you trust them? Doesn’t that seem a little unfair to you?” Curtis gave a frantic look at your question. You calmed him by returning to your smile and shaking your head lightly. “It’s fine, Curtis. Maybe you can give me a better answer next time.”

Without giving Curtis a chance to think through a response, you turned to Don. There had been a question on your mind since he had brought the subject up when you first met. He looked back at you with his own grin. You wondered if he knew the effect he had on people, with his chilling grey eyes and his- _Focus._

“Don, you’re head of security, correct?”

Don nodded, raising an eyebrow at the unexpected question.

“You also told me that you’re head of visitor relations. How do these two correlate?”

The group became relaxed for a moment as the subject changed. Don pulled a stray thread from his slacks before answering.

“Ms. Y/N. This is a correctional facility for monsters. As you can see not many humans are as keen to monsters as you are.” You narrowed your eyes at his comment, but held your tongue as he finished talking. “That being said, the lack of visitors makes the need for a full-time visitor relations specialist unnecessary.” You blinked in amazement for a second.

_No one visits this place?_

“As efficient as it is to have security and visitor relations, have you never wondered why on one visits? As head of that department, shouldn’t you be reaching out to families and nonprofit organizations?”

There was an innate need to cower as Don narrowed his eyes at your question. He took a deep breath then gave you a smirk.

_So, that’s what that feels like…_

“As I stated Ms. Y/N, no one is interested in this facility. Families don’t reach out and those organizations you speak of never call back.” You found that hard to believe, but it was better to let certain things go. You could investigate later on.

Don relaxed as you turned your head back to the group. “Is there anything that anyone wants to add to the discussion before we call it for a day?” You might as well have not said anything because no one responded to you. You made sure to glance at every face in the meeting. You didn’t want anyone to go “missing” for the next meeting. You smiled brightly and clapped your hands together. “Alright! I’ll see you guys at our meeting next week!” You had to shout the last bit as certain individuals got up to leave.

Before Don could leave, you tapped him on the shoulder as Curtis and Henry had a whispered conversation nearby. “Don, before you go, I would like to request the files for Edge and Red. The initial packet told me I should request info on the two should I need it. Since they weren’t at the last monster meeting, I thought it would be appropriate to ask for it now before the next meeting.” A voice creeped up from behind you before Don could respond.

“You mean those vicious monsters? Those guys are fucking berserk!”

You narrowed your eyes at Henry. _Who invited him to the conversation?_

“I’m sorry,” you asked softly, not really wanting to speak to him after his comments in the meeting.

“What Henry is trying to say,” Don said smoothly “is that Edge and Red are known for their excessive aggression and violent tendencies.”

“Violent tendencies!? Don, are you kidding me? Those guys get off to violence! Crazy fucks think stabbing folks is a hobby.”

“Henry.”

Don’s voice swept through you and Henry like a winter breeze. Henry straightened his stance and you swore that you heard his mouth close with an audible click. You watched as Henry dismissed himself, before turning back to Don.

When you looked up at Don, he was sending an icy glare to Henry. “I apologize for his comments, Ms. Y/N. Some of our training doesn’t stick to guards at times. I’ll be sure to speak with him later.” You nodded absently at Don, still trying to wrap your mind around Henry’s words and Don’s reaction. “So, the profiles for the two monsters that I was asking about?”

Don folded his hands together before giving you a smile. “Ms. Y/N, as I stated those monsters are known for high aggression levels and violent tendencies. I would be happy to suggest two diff-“

You held a hand up to quiet Don. The look of shock no his face could have made you squeal with joy. Somehow, you managed to hold back your glee with a sly smile. “I’m not easily intimidated Don,” you lied. “If I decide that the monsters are not a good fit for the program, then I’ll ask to have them removed.”

To be honest, Don didn’t seem too pleased with your answer. “I see” he mumbled before leading you to exit the room. As the two of you walked down the hallway, you thought to ask other guards what they thought of the monsters Edge and Red.

You were met with a mix of disgusted or shocked faces. One of the guards described how out of all monsters those two caused the most issues in the facility, rightfully earning their spot in Block Ten. Her brow furrowed in anxious energy as she spoke. “This one time when a guard was getting ready to let them out for dinner, they jumped him. That tall one, Edge, he slammed the poor guard against the wall while that sadistic one speared him straight through the hand with a fork. They’re just…dangerous.” Don insisted that you hurried along as he had “other matters to attend to.”

When you reached his office, you found it just as you assumed. Dark, yet kept. He sat behind his nicely sized dark alder wood desk, inviting you to sit in the well-cushioned seat in front of it. You held back a sigh of contentment as you sat down. The meeting with security had you tense today, causing your neck and back to protest from the strain.

Don clicked around on his computer as you relaxed in the chair. You heard the sound of a printer going off and peeked an eye open just in time to see Don handing you some papers. You reached out to take them and found yourself shocked at how thick the stack was. This report was formatted a bit differently.

NAME: EDGE             AGE: ???         SEX: MALE                 AGGRESSION:

INMATE HAS HAD MULTIPLE AGGRESSIVE INCIDENTS DURING HIS SHORT TIME HERE. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT AN ADEQUATELY TRAINED GUARD DEAL WITH MATTERS CONSIDERING THIS INMATE. THE WARDEN ENFORCES THE RULES BELOW:

  * ALWAYS MAKE EYE CONTACT WITH THE INMATE
  * DO NOT ALLOW INMATE TO SPEAK UNLESS SPOKEN TO
  * DO NOT ATTEND TO INMATE WITHOUT BACKUP
  * DO NOT LOWER **SOUL** INPUT ON SECURITY BRACELET
  * ALWAYS APPROACH WITH CAUTION



You flipped through the next few pages and saw a flurry of _incidents_ and _disciplinary action_ appear. You guess that went through a good ten pages before you reached Red’s paperwork.

NAME: RED                AGE: ???         SEX: MALE                 AGGRESSION:

INMATE HAS HAD MULTIPLE AGGRESSIVE INCIDENTS WITH AT LEAST ONE RESULTING IN MAJOR INJURIES TOWARDS FACILITY SECURITY. GUARDS ARE CURRENTLY IN TRAINING TO ASSIST WITH THIS INMATE. THE WARDEN ENFORCES THE RULES BELOW:

  * DO NOT ALLOW INMATE TO SPEAK UNLESS SPOKEN TO
  * DO NOT ATTEND TO INMATE WITHOUT BACKUP
  * DO NOT GIVE THE INMATE ANYTHING NOT PREVIOUSLY APPROVED
  * DOCUMENT ALL INCIDENTS AND INJURIES IMMEDIATELY WITH THE WARDEN
  * DO NOT LOWER **SOUL** INPUT ON SECURITY BRACELET
  * ALWAYS APPROACH WITH CAUTION



You looked up from the information, wondering what exactly you had gotten yourself into. Don typed away at his computer as you placed the paperwork in the folder in your backpack with the rest of the profiles. “Thank you for the information, Don. I appreciate you giving it to me.”

Don looked away from his screen for a second and nodded. You stood, looking at the clock on your phone. You could cut the meeting with the monsters short today since you were late.

“I don’t believe you’ll have time for two meetings today, Ms. Y/N.” You glanced over at Don and raised an eyebrow. “You were mumbling, Ms. Y/N. And as I said, I don’t believe you’ll have time for two meetings today. Plus, I don’t have the adequate time or guards needed to prepare a meeting with the monsters for you.”

As he spoke, Don folded his hands on the table and gave you a chilling look. You couldn’t quite place it, but there was something sinister in his eyes. You shifted the backpack strap on your shoulder and asked Don if you could spend at least some time with the monsters today. The security meeting wasn’t supposed to be until next week, but if you hadn’t done it today you would have regretted it. If Don wasn’t going to let you visit the skeletons, you were going to feel bad for neglecting your duty to them. He leaned back in his chair as you waited for an answer. You were sure that he was making you wait on purpose. “I’m sorry, Ms. Y/N. Visiting hours are over.”

Your heart sank at the words.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After writing and editing this chapter, I realized how close to home this fanfic can be to real life. I don't want to suck you guys away from reality to face something close to it in fiction. I apologize and hope that you can still enjoy the writing. 
> 
> On the other hand, I know that everyone is looking forward to the skeleton-based chapters and let me tell you that I am ready to write them but we still have a few more foundation pieces to place first. Thanks for being patient~
> 
> My initial plan was to release two chapters a week, but I feel like it would be more realistic for me to release one a week. That gives me adequate time to brainstorm, write and edit while still making the work enjoyable. So there's a tentative schedule that EVERY SUNDAY THERE SHOULD BE A CHAPTER RELEASED. Once again, thank you for supporting me and have a good week!

**Author's Note:**

> Please be sure to leave any comments, critiques or suggestions that you may have. I hope you enjoy this creative journey as much as I do~


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